Marion County 4-H youth win big at National 4-H Poultry Judging Contest: Just in Time for Thanksgiving
Marion County 4-H received high honors as they placed as
reserve champions at the National 4-H Poultry Judging Contest in Louisville,
Kentucky. The team finished third in the production hen division, sixth
in the market egg division and ninth in the market poultry.
In addition to placing second overall, team member’s Ilene
Boetger, placed first in the production hen division, and Sarah Harper placed
sixth in the market egg division.
The four Marion County 4-H youth, Sarah Harper, Kailea
Quad, Ilene Boetger and Gabriela Valentin, travelled to Louisville,
Kentucky to judge three categories of chicken, eggs and turkeys. The
competitors were required to judge ready-to-cook chicken and turkey carcasses,
live production hens and market eggs.
“4-H youth travelled from all over the country to
compete in educational events that help them learn to make and defend
decisions, speak publicly, and gain poultry-related skill,” said Xiomara
Diaz, Marion County 4-H extension agent.
This year, over 86 senior 4-H youth represented 22 teams
that participated in the poultry judging contest, Diaz said.
The judging contest gives students the opportunity to
demonstrate their knowledge of U.S. Department of Agriculture regulations
governing the grading of eggs, chicken and turkeys.
Participants are scored in the judging contest based on
placing and reasons. The placing score is determined by how well
the participant placed the class based on physical characteristics of the
poultry or egg. How well the participants justify their placing of a
class to a judge determines their reason score.
The poultry judging contest was held in conjunction with
the 2012 National 4-H Poultry and Egg Conference at the Kentucky Fair and
Exposition Center in Louisville, Kentucky. The conference recognizes 4-H
members who have excelled in their state 4-H poultry learning activities by
offering national level activities and contests designed to test and show the
knowledge of the 4-H members.
“A poultry careers workshop was also held at the
conference, exposing the 4-H’ers to hands-on information from poultry industry
professionals,” Diaz said. “Participants are given pertinent information
about career and educational opportunities available in the poultry industry.”
The Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (IFAS) is
an Equal Opportunity Institution authorized to provide research, educational
information, and other services only to individuals and institutions that
function with non-discrimination with respect to race, creed, color, religion,
age, disability, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, national origin,
political opinions, or affiliations. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Cooperative
Extension Service, University of Florida, IFAS, Florida A&M University
Cooperative Extension Program, and Boards of County Commissioners Cooperating
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